"Blackjack" or "Twenty-one" is a popular gambling game played in casinos throughout the world. The game has increased in popularity in recent years. One cause of this increased popularity is the development of a number of playing strategies which, if accurately applied, actually give the user a statistical advantage over the casino's dealer, whose play is strictly regulated by casino rules.
A number of these strategies, which were developed with the use of a high speed general purpose computer by Julian H. Braun of the IBM Corporation and have been explained, modified and applied in a number of publications including "Playing Blackjack as a Business" by Lawrence Revere (Lyle Stewart, Inc., 1977 ed.), require that the player count cards. For example, in the Revere publication, there is described a "plus-minus" strategy whereby each of the cards numbered 2 through 6 are counted +1, Aces, 7's and 8's count zero and 10's, Jacks, Queens and Kings are counted -1. A "point count" strategy which requires a count of all cards in a manner similar to the "plus-minus" strategy and a separate count of Aces is also described. A continuous count is maintained until the dealer reshuffles the deck of cards. The count is utilized by the player in deciding when to take another card, when to stand, when to double the original bet and when to split the cards in his hand.
The strategies have been shown to work successfully so long as the player uses them accurately. However, using the strategies during an ongoing game of Blackjack can become confusing. Typically the player must keep track of the total count and/or the Ace count in his head while performing all of the other functions required to play the game and dealing with various distractions which commonly occur in casinos. Casino dealers often deal the cards very rapidly which makes it even more difficult for the player to maintain an accurate count in his head.
One solution to this problem of counting cards is to utilize a counter. Such a counter should be capable of inconspicuous use so that a count may be kept without attracting the attention of others. However, prior counters are not suitable for this purpose. Prior counters, whether electrically or mechanically operated, have visual displays only and therefore require the user to look at the counter in order to determine what the current count is. The use of such a counter could not be inconspicuous and would require the player's visual attention to be distracted from the playing cards, thereby interfering with his play. Furthermore, prior counters do not include means for making two counts simultaneously as is needed when certain playing strategies are being followed.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a counter which may be inconspicuously operated to maintain two separate counts without looking at the counter.